Pivotal Moments

11 October 2018

When you look back at your journey so far, can you pinpoint the pivotal moment that put you on the path you’re on today?

I guarantee that somewhere along the way, you have had a moment like this. A change in your course, a lightning bolt. Sometimes we create our own pivotal moments, sometimes they happen to us, and sometimes other people create them for us.

Why do I ask? A few weeks ago I interviewed footballing legend, and now thriving businessman, Gary Neville for my Mind Your Own Business podcast. The conversation really got me thinking.

At the start of the chat, Gary shared his own pivotal moment, which came down to a teacher when he was just 10 or 11 years old. The teacher, Mr Wright, wrote to Manchester United to say that he had a person in his class – Gary – that they may be interested in meeting. The club replied to Mr Wright inviting Gary along to football trials. He attended the trials and was invited into the Centre of Excellence at 11 years old. From that moment on Gary spent the next 25 years at Manchester United.

Whilst there were many other moments along the way, Gary credits that letter with changing the direction of his life.

There’s something special about someone believing in you. You don’t want to let them down. It’s incredibly motivating for someone to have that level of faith in you. In fact, it is one of the single most motivating factors in life. Not wanting to let someone down is enough to motivate you to hit every single goal you set. Trust me on this one; I speak from experience!

Lifelong impact

For me, you could say that my pivotal moment was the avalanche in the early 2000s. There’s nothing like being in a life-threatening situation to really make you reassess your priorities. Being brought back to life, having been dug out of the snow, I knew that I was bound for a different path and my life has certainly been very different since.

That being said, you could also pinpoint receiving a scholarship for Durham Chorister School, or playing on the rugby field, or even the experience that Gail and I had trying to set up a website – the experience that inspired us to create UKFast.

Whatever the moments are, and there are likely to be many along everyone’s individual journey, there is no denying the impact that these milestones have on our lives.

It is important to look back and check in with them – with when things changed. What lessons did you learn at that point? Are you still putting them into practice or have you fallen back into old habits? Do you still remember that that person had faith in you? Would they be proud of where you are now?

Having these reminders is incredibly motivating. They also provide an opportunity to get you back on track if you stray from the path to your goals.

Chatting with people like Gary for the podcast, I am often reminded of my own milestones and pivotal moments and how they continue to shape the course of my life today. I’d love to hear about your journey and the people or experiences that have shaped the path that you’re on. Let me know in the comments below.